The Bad Doctor
by NeoTheBean
Summary: Titans East is being terrorised by a strange girl, but she's about to become a problem for Jump City instead. Speedy may have signed up for more than he can handle when he offered to help the original Titans. Based on the cartoon. SpeedyxOC, BBxRae later.
1. One: Felis

**A/N: **Believe it or not, I had this whole story planned out before I ever read Maximum Ride. You'll understand why I say this when you get to chapter four and beyond.**  
**

Obviously, I don't own Teen Titans. Only Felis, Lupe, and the Doctor belong to me.

Also, to anyone who may read my other stuff...yeah, yeah, I should be working on my other stories instead of writing a new one. But I've been working on this for quite some time and really like it, soooo...yeah, you get this instead of new chapters to "It Was Lassie, in the Kitchen, with a Gun." X3 Sorry, dudes.

* * *

**Chapter One: Fur Flies at Titans East  
**

"Titans, go!"

Speedy dashed ahead of his comrades, forgoing all attempts at caution. The girl had taken his bow, and she wasn't going to get away with it. He dodged one of his own arrows by a hair, stumbled, and somehow managed to keep going.

Bumblebee hung back, her arms crossed and her lips pursed.

"Since when did he become leader?" she said to Aqualad, who had paused upon seeing that his leader had yet to move.

"Er…" he stalled, well aware what the look on her face meant: Speedy's demise.

Completely oblivious to the fallings behind of his team mates, Speedy dodged closer to their enemy. He made a wild leap, finally gaining the low roof the girl had been defending so well until now. She stepped back as he advanced on her; the scarf that covered her head and shoulders also hid her face from him in the darkness.

"Give it up," he told her.

She was silent for several long moments, the bowstring taut as she aimed an exploding arrow at him. Then, so swiftly that he barely saw her do it, she lowered the bow and slipped the quiver from her shoulder.

"Okay," she said with a shrug, handing them to him. "I've had my fun." She flashed a smile and was suddenly gone, although Speedy swore he saw a small grey and white blur darting across the rooftop. He narrowed his eyes and stared in the direction it had gone.

"Where'd she go?"

Speedy jumped at Bumblebee's sudden appearance and barely concealed a surprised squeak with a cough.

"No idea," he replied when he had regained his composure. He squinted again into the darkness, hoping to catch sight of something in the shadows.

"This is the fourth time she's come and annoyed us," Bumblebee fumed, glaring at nothing in particular. "I've had enough. We're calling Titans West."

She was halfway to the Tower before anyone could protest.

* * *

Felis scampered through the alleys, her ears and mind tuned to the voice of Bumblebee. Titans West…the original Teen Titans. She grinned to herself.

Time for some new fun.

* * *

"Hey, Bee," Cyborg greeted as Bumblebee's face flickered onto the screen. "What's up?"

"Hey, Sparky," the Titans East leader grinned. "It's been a while since you visited."

Cyborg blushed. "Things have been pretty crazy around here…"

"Yeah, I can tell by those new video games all over the table," she replied with a smirk. "But maybe you can come for a visit A-sap?"

Cyborg paused in his attempt to hide the video games from view of the screen, instantly concerned by the tone of her voice. "What's going on?"

"Some girl has been giving us the run-around over here," she said, serious now. "She hasn't been causing any real trouble, mainly just taunting the police so we get involved. We can't catch her…she even outruns Mas and Menos."

At this, Robin and the others quit what they were doing and joined Cyborg and Bumblebee's conversation. Raven looked sceptical.

"What could possibly outrun those two?" she said.

Speedy squeezed into Bumblebee's spot on the screen.

"It's not just that. She's just toying with us…she stole my bow and arrows, and when I caught up to her, she just gave them back and disappeared."

Bumblebee shoved him aside, looking annoyed.

"Hey, watch it, I'm mad enough at you as it is," she told him before turning back to the Titans. "We just want to catch this chick. Who knows what she's really planning? We've got to get her before she causes some real damage."

"Sure, we'll come help," Robin answered for his team. "From what you say, this girl could be really dangerous. Better safe than sorry."

Speedy reappeared on the screen, earning himself another glare from Bumblebee.

"I'm not sure how she disappeared, but I think she can transform," he said. "She almost looked like a--"

Bumblebee once again pushed him out of view, although his information looked like new to her.

"Just get here before--"

The transmission was suddenly interrupted by a video feed of police cars surrounding a jewellery store in downtown Jump City. What looked like every gun in the JCPD's arsenal was trained on a teenaged girl who was perched on the edge of the building's roof. The Titans stared at it open-mouthed for several moments before Cyborg brought up Titans East on his communicator and sent the feed to Bumblebee.

"We've gotta go. Is this your friend?" he asked her as she glowered at the video that was playing on her communicator.

"That's her, all right. I've seen her enough times in the past week to last me a lifetime," she said. "We'll head over to your place instead, in case you need some help."

Robin frowned and moved into Bumblebee's view.

"I don't know, Bumblebee, it could be a trick. I'm sure she knows we're connected…she may be trying to clear the way for whatever she has planned."

The Titans East leader scowled. "I guess you're right. I'll send Mas and Menos--"

"No, I'll go," Speedy interrupted, once again joining her onscreen. "I've got a score to settle with her. No one shoots at me with my own arrows and gets away with it."

"Don't be an idiot!" Bumblebee snapped at him. "Mas and Menos would get there a thousand times faster, and they could be back to help just as quick!"

"Yeah, but if this girl's associates are anything like her, we'll need more than Mas and Menos to take them down. Titans West can't get here as fast as Mas and Menos anyway, so why not send me?"

"Fine," Bumblebee sighed. "You've been doing nothing but annoying me lately anyway. But you'd better hurry up if you want to do them any good. Not that you'll be any help anyway…" she added in a mutter.

"Great. We'll see you here," Robin said.

Cyborg ended the communication with Titans East and joined his own team on their way to the door, glancing back at the now blank screen with more than a little regret that he had missed a chance to return to Steel City.

* * *

The flashing lights had kept Felis entertained for some time, but she was now growing bored of the lack of movement. She wanted to chase and tease and run people in rings, but all the policemen were interested in doing was shooting at her, and bullets were harder to dodge than exploding arrows and whatever else the Titans had to throw at her.

All at once, the commotion below her began to dissipate. Sirens were silenced and police cars sped away, leaving the street before her completely empty. She cocked her head to one side, listening for her new playmates. However, it was only when a star bolt struck the roof tiles beside her that she realised her acute hearing had been temporarily ruined by the previous bout of sirens.

"Titans, go!"

Felis dodged the sudden onslaught of attacks, dancing just out of reach of danger. Her tail flicked from side to side as she sprang away from each new strike with fresh vigour. A smile spread across her face, exposing gleaming fangs. She had finally found playmates to match her energy!

She watched the Titans with utmost concentration, weaving in and out of their various wavelengths in the hopes that she would find some fun new power to try out. The star bolts looked fun; she latched her attention onto Starfire's brain waves and leapt backward off the roof. Free fall took over for a moment before she allowed the exhilaration of flight to overtake her.

* * *

"She can fly?!" Cyborg shouted as the girl zoomed into the air.

"She can do more than fly," Raven cautioned as the girl's eyes and fists glowed green.

Star bolts rained down upon the Titans. Raven threw up a barrier against the assault, but it ended almost as soon as her energy enveloped the team. She released the barrier warily, allowing the others to leap into battle. Starfire, however, lagged behind when Raven did not move.

"Raven, why do you not attack?"

"How can she be using your star bolts? She is not Tamaranian." Raven narrowed her eyes at the girl, who was now dodging around Robin's swift attacks with ease and apparent glee. "She is more dangerous than we anticipated."

Starfire also turned her gaze on the girl.

"Perhaps she is capable of using the powers that are used on her?" she suggested.

Raven shook her head. "That would not make sense. You did not hit her." She sighed and looked over at Beast Boy, who had taken his velociraptor form. "I guess we had better join them."

The Tamaranian nodded. "Yes, we should help our friends."

* * *

Beast Boy lunged at the strange girl, snapping his jaws harmlessly by her arm. She giggled and danced in and out of his reach as if they were playing tag. He changed forms rapidly, hoping to confuse her or startle her, but she seemed to find his attempts infinitely amusing.

"Jeez, what's with you?" he shouted finally, returning to his normal self in frustration.

"Give up already? Come on, I was having fun!" she replied with a pout.

_At least she's not shooting star bolts anymore_, he thought as he glowered at her.

"Oh, fine then," she sniffed. Then she was suddenly gone, using her footwork to aggravate Cyborg instead.

Raven, Starfire, and Robin joined Beast Boy. Raven was looking apprehensive, never taking her eyes off the strange girl, and Robin seemed to share in her doubts.

"We need a new strategy," he said. "We need to corner her somehow…."

"Too late," Raven muttered as the girl vanished into thin air, leaving Cyborg to spin around on the spot, searching for her.

"I think Speedy was right," Beast Boy said. "I think she can transform…." He squinted against the darkness. "I could've sworn I saw something…."

"Probably just your eyes playing tricks on you," Robin answered, but he didn't sound certain. "Come on, let's go home for the night. She'll probably show up again soon. We can meet up with Speedy at the Tower and ask him what he knows about her."

"Yeah…" Beast Boy murmured, casting a last glance over his shoulder before he transformed into a raven to wing his way back to Titan Tower.

* * *

Critiques are welcome and appreciated! I do realise that this is not my best work, but please refrain from scathing comments, as they are unhelpful as well as unpleasant. :3


	2. Two: Meeting

**A/N: **If you would like to see a picture of Felis, go check my account (neokitty13) on deviantART. :3

* * *

**Two: The Problem with Pets**

Speedy had been disappointed to find that the girl had already slipped from the grasp of Titans West by the time he had arrived. He was now sprawled on their couch, listening to Robin's explanation of what had happened.

"She was using Starfire's powers, and it was like she knew what move I was going to make next," the leader said with affirmations from his team.

"Yeah, she did the same stuff to us," Speedy told them. "She used archery like it was nothing and gave Mas and Menos a run for their money."

"It would be nice to know what we are dealing with," Raven said in annoyance from where she was hovering by the coffee table.

"Yeah, but that's not gonna happen until we catch her," Cyborg pointed out. "Until then, we just have to take what she throws at us."

"I can't wait to catch that little--"

"Shh!" Beast Boy interrupted Speedy with a raised finger and cocked his head to one side, obviously listening for something. "Do you guys hear that?"

Everyone paused to listen. Within moments, they heard the distinctive mewl of a hungry cat. Raven rolled her eyes.

"We do not have time for a stray cat," she told Beast Boy. "We have more important things to worry about."

Beast Boy scowled. "Well I'm going to go feed it, whatever you say…" he muttered as he slinked away.

Speedy watched him go, a frown on his face as the others resumed their conversation. Bumblebee had stopped him earlier when he'd tried to speak, but now he wasn't so sure of what he had seen. He was about to comment on it when Beast Boy reappeared, grinning broadly and toting a grey-and-white cat in his arms.

"Oh, she is very adorable!" Starfire cooed, taking the cat from Beast Boy and cuddling it so tightly that the entire room feared for its safety.

"Uh, Star--" Robin began, concerned, but the cat leapt nimbly from Starfire's grasp and jumped onto Speedy's lap.

"Nya!" she mewed, rubbing her head against his chin.

He stroked her back and scratched her whiskers automatically. She purred loudly and nuzzled his hand, her tail flicking playfully from side to side.

"You know I'm not letting that thing stay here," Cyborg said with a pointed look at Beast Boy. "One animal in the Tower is enough."

"We can worry about that later," Robin said, watching the cat absently as it nuzzled Speedy's hand. "We have to figure out a way to catch this girl before she causes real trouble."

The cat stopped rubbing its whiskers against Speedy's fingers and turned large blue eyes on Robin. She hopped down from Speedy's lap, stretched, and suddenly morphed into a grinning teenaged girl. Every jaw in the room dropped as the Titans recognised the girl who had been causing so much trouble.

"Oh, there's no catching me," she said with a grin, "unless I let you."

Speedy had her by the wrist in an instant, looking furious. "You're not getting away from me this time! No one gets the chance to steal my bow more than once!"

"All right, then," she replied happily, sticking her head under his chin. "Besides, I don't mind sticking around _you_ for a while."

He blushed and leant away from her as she purred.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded.

She frowned as she returned Speedy his space. "Well, you just aren't any fun, are you?"

He glared at her in response.

"Fine, fine," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You can call me Felis."

"What are you planning?" Raven asked coolly.

Felis looked at her in confusion. "Planning? Oh, I don't do that. There's not enough time in life to go around planning stuff. I'm just looking for fun." The corner of her mouth quirked up into a grin. "And you guys sure are challenging enough to be fun!"

"She was just…playing?" Beast Boy said, incredulous.

"You wasted our time because you wanted to _play_?" Speedy spluttered.

She looked around at them all, obviously bewildered. "Don't you guys play? Practise your skills? Challenge yourselves?"

"In safe conditions, yeah," Cyborg answered, crossing his arms. "But we don't go around making people think we're criminals just so we can have a good match. You had us thinking all of Steel City was in trouble!"

The feline ears beneath her scarf wilted and her cat-like tail went limp.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," she said earnestly. "Really, I didn't. I was just having fun…."

The Titans frowned at her accusingly until she raised her hands in submission.

"You're not taking me to jail, are you? I didn't do anything wrong," she said finally, casting a sideways glance at Speedy, who was by far the most annoyed.

"No, we're not taking you to jail," Robin said finally, dropping his angry posture. "But we need to do _something_ with you."

Her eyes darted from Titan to Titan before she said, "I could stay here. I could help you fight crime."

"What?! You expect us to just--" Speedy burst out, but he was interrupted by Robin.

"That's actually not a bad idea. We certainly know you can fight."

"Speaking of fighting," Raven added, "what kind of powers do you have?"

Felis's face lit up, and her hands waved about wildly as she explained. "They're not much, really. You know how cats are supposed to be able to see auras and stuff? That's sort of the way my powers work." She tapped the side of her head with a finger. "I can tune into the wavelengths produced by your brain and copy your powers, predict your moves, or tell what you're feeling. It's pretty useful, but more for running away than actually fighting." She frowned at Beast Boy. "Of course, there are limits. Can't copy genetic mutations, for one. Skills, though, like martial arts and archery, and innate abilities, like those star bolt thingies, those I can do."

"That seems pretty infallible," Robin commented.

"Not really," she admitted. "There are limits. I have to use a lot of concentration to read brain wavelengths. If I get distracted, I have to refocus all over again. So, say I'm copying the ability to fly, and I almost get hit with one of your throw-y things…" She whistled, ending it with a noise like an explosion "I'm down and out."

"We can't forget about the whole cat thing," Cyborg put in.

"Oh, yeah, that. That's nothing…just part of my genetics. A good way to escape." She threw herself onto the couch and grabbed the remote.

"Hey! We're not done yet!" Beast Boy said, snatching the control from her.

"Yeah, we still have to figure out what to do with you," Robin added as she tried to take the remote back from Beast Boy, who transformed into a raven and hovered just out of her reach.

"I think she should remain here with us," Starfire offered with a smile. "You would enjoy being our friend, yes?"

Felis smiled broadly. "Enjoy it? Of course! I've never had friends before!"

"That's no surprise," Speedy muttered.

Felis responded to his moodiness by rubbing her cheek against his and purring.

"Oh, come on!" she wheedled. "You're just miffed that I can out-manoeuvre you!"

"Among other things," he growled in response.

She purred more loudly, grinning smugly when he turned pink and backed away from her.

"Okay, enough playing around," Robin commanded.

Instantly abandoning her mission to annoy Speedy, she raised her hand in a smart salute and perched herself on the edge of the couch, then stared at the Titans leader as if awaiting an order.

"You're probably hungry," he said.

"Starving!" she replied enthusiastically.

"I'll make some tofu burgers!" Beast Boy offered, already halfway to the kitchen.

"Tofu?" Felis grimaced and followed him into the kitchen. "Ew. I'm part cat, remember? _Carnivore_. Don't you have normal meat?"

"Told you no one likes tofu but you," Cyborg commented as Beast Boy slumped against the counter, looking disappointed.

"Perhaps you would like some glorg?" Starfire offered, holding up a rather revolting plate of the fungus-filled gelatine. Felis stared at it in fascination and horror, reaching out a finger to prod the strange substance.

"What's…glorg?" she asked, hastily pulling away her finger when it was sucked into the gelatine.

"A traditional Tamaranian--"

"You don't want to know," Cyborg interrupted. "Just don't touch it, and you should be okay."

"Okay," Felis readily agreed, backing away from the strange food.

Speedy glowered at the girl as Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire crowded around her. She had been causing everyone trouble just hours ago; how could they start catering to her just because she claimed to have meant no harm?

"I am not sure about this," Raven said. Like Speedy, her eyes were narrowed at the scene in the kitchen.

"I'm not, either," Robin replied. "But we can't just throw her out on the street."

"It is where she was before," Raven reminded him. "Besides, do you not remember what happened the last time we let someone we did not know into our home? We were nearly killed."

Speedy looked at Raven, curious, but she didn't elaborate on the subject.

"This is probably the easiest way to keep an eye on her," Robin said. "We'll be more careful this time."

Raven said nothing more, but it was obvious that she was still far from satisfied with the arrangement. She pulled up the hood of her cloak and drifted away, leaving Speedy and Robin alone with the others still doting on Felis in the kitchen.

"She seems to like you," Robin said out of the blue as he watched the happenings in the kitchen. "Felis, I mean."

"What's your point?" Speedy replied dryly, glaring at the boy wonder.

"Well, you did say you had a score to settle with her, and we could use some extra help keeping an eye on her."

Speedy caught the hint quickly and angrily. "I am not staying here with that furry pain in the--"

"Mustard on _what_?!"

Robin and Speedy both turned their startled attention to the kitchen, where Felis was recoiling from a bowl that Starfire was proffering up with a broad grin. Beast Boy and Cyborg had backed away, looking both amused and disgusted.

"Have you never tasted the mustard on the ice cream?" Starfire inquired.

"That's got to be the grossest thing--I've eaten entire mice, and I still wouldn't try that!" Felis exclaimed, climbing backward onto the counter as she tried to avoid the concoction Starfire was offering her.

"You want me to baby-sit that?" Speedy inquired, raising an eyebrow at Robin.

"Only if you think you can handle it," Robin replied with a grin.

Speedy glowered in response as he pulled out his communicator.

* * *

Tidbit: The character that years later became Felis had only ability: she could transform into a large purple panther. Also, she was supposed to end up with Beast Boy. Weeeelll...huge BBxRae advocate as I am, that was obviously scrapped. It was probably three years later that I decided to redesign her into something better (and admittedly more annoying). It took me some time to decide on her powers, but I like the way she turned out. Speedy got stuck being her new love interest because, well, I'm not a big fan of Aqualad (and Felis isn't a big fan of water), the other main Titans are all paired up in my little universe, the others are rarely seen, and I don't have a fan pairing for Speedy. Not to mention I love couples that have trouble getting along. :3

Sorry for that novella of a tidbit. XD


	3. Three: CatSitting

**A/N: **I hope you like this chapter better than I do. If not, don't tell me why, because I probably already know. XD

* * *

**Chapter Three: A Night with Disaster**

"Titans, trouble!"

Felis leapt up excitedly from where she had been sprawled on the couch with one of Beast Boy's comics, but Speedy pulled her back down by the tail.

"You're not going," he said without looking up from his magazine.

"Why not?" she retorted angrily.

"Because we haven't tested your skills properly yet," Robin replied as he and the others entered the main area. "Sorry, Felis, but you'll have to stay here with Speedy."

She perked up at that, though Speedy looked anything but happy with the arrangement.

"What's up this time?" Cyborg asked.

"Plasmus," Robin replied. "Looks like he tore up a sewage line and downed a train load of radioactive waste."

"Oh, man!" Beast Boy whined, flopping down onto the couch next to Felis. "How many times have we fought this guy?"

"Zero for me," she piped up. "I wouldn't mind fighting with him! Come on, let me go, please? I won't get into any trouble, I promise!"

"No!" The answer came from several places around the room, namely Robin, Speedy, and Raven. Felis sat back, looking crestfallen.

"Maybe next time," Beast Boy reassured her as the others filed from the room. He gave her head a pat before jumping up and hurrying after the others, leaving her and Speedy alone on the couch.

Speedy had already returned to his magazine. Felis watched him for a while in silence, but was soon bored. Her ears perked up as a thought occurred to her.

"Wanna play a game?" she asked. "I'm getting pretty good at that alien-zombie-thing on the Game Station."

"No," Speedy answered flatly.

"We could spar instead."

"No," he repeated.

"Dominoes?"

"No."

"Monopoly?"

"_No_."

"…Tag?"

"NO!" he shouted, throwing down his magazine angrily. "Don't you _ever_ stop?!"

"Stop what?" she questioned, tilting her head to one side.

"Being annoying! Can't you go do something by yourself and leave me alone?" he growled, standing up and stalking to the kitchen.

She lowered her eyes, hurt, and slumped back onto the couch. When she heard him rooting around in the fridge, she slinked away down the hall, ears and tail lowered in rejection. What had she ever done to make him hate her so much? She cast a hopeful glance down the hall when she heard footsteps, but it was only him returning to the couch with snacks. Disappointed, she slipped into the room that had been made hers.

"Three-hundred channels," Speedy muttered, his finger on the Channel Up button of the remote, "and nothing on."

He tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth and took a swig of his soda. Not that he was disappointed with the cat girl leaving him alone, but it was certainly quiet out here alone. He was just thinking that maybe a round on Beast Boy's Game Station didn't sound half bad when a booming crash outside made the Tower shake.

"Felis!" he called, jumping off the couch. "What the heck are you doing?!"

There was no answer. He stalked down the hall angrily and stopped at her room. He pounded furiously on the door, shouting her name.

"Felis! Get out here, you annoying little--"

_Crash. _The sounds of shattering glass barely preceded a scream that Speedy was sure belonged to Felis. However, the scream was quickly muffled and silence filled the corridor once more.

Speedy shifted instantly into hero mode. He forced the door open with more effort than he was proud of and rushed into the room. Broken glass covered the floor and the cushy bed; the curtains were shredded, looking like they had been attacked by a large cat. Which, Speedy realised, probably wasn't far from the truth.

"Felis? Look, this isn't a game! Come on!" he barked, hoping she really was just playing as he made his way cautiously to the gaping hole of a window and peered out warily. A speed boat sat crookedly against the wall of the tower, but there was no sign of the driver or Felis. Squinting, he could pick out a single set of footprints, too big to belong to Felis, scratched across the rocky beach. This didn't surprise Speedy; Felis had proved herself exceptionally good at getting away.

He had just turned away to check the room again when he noticed the grey scarf snagged on the broken glass that was still stuck in the window frame. He lifted it off the floor and tugged it free to inspect it. The bell clasp that held it on had been torn away, and he discovered it a few feet away under the bed. Maybe they _had_ taken her after all, whoever "they" was.

_She had to have gotten away_, he thought as he ground his teeth. _If she can escape us, she can escape some moron slamming his motorboat into Titan Tower. _However, if she _had_ escaped the intruder…where was she?

"This girl is more trouble than she's worth," he growled as he dashed down the hall and took the stairs five at a time, pausing only long enough on the way to grab his bow and arrows.

Outside, there was nothing strange. He stopped under Felis's room and glanced at the speed boat and the chunk it had taken out of Titan Tower, but there was no sign of the annoying cat girl anywhere.

"Where is she?" he muttered angrily. "Felis! This isn't funny!"

"Aiieee!"

The squeal was Felis's; he ran around the corner, ready to fight either enemies or the cat girl, and was suddenly thrown to the ground.

"No! Lupe, stop!"

Speedy grunted and sat up, gasping for the air that had been knocked from his lungs at the abrupt impact. Felis was on the ground as well, her feline ears exposed and blood on her chin. She looked terrified, and he soon saw the reason why. Standing above him was a tall young man, fangs protruding out over his bottom lip, his head covered in a wild mess of dog-like hair. His eyes were yellow, angry, and fixed on Speedy like the Titan was a snack.

"Lupe, please! Don't hurt him!" Felis cried. "I'm what you came for, right? So leave him alone and fight me!"

"You're no match for me, Felis, don't be stupid," the strange young man snarled. "I was built for strength, you were built for cunning. Just give it up. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

"Then don't! Let me go! Don't go back to the Doctor!" Felis begged.

"Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?" Speedy interrupted. "You're messing around the wrong building, pal!"

The man turned on him. "I am Lupe, and I am here for Felis. You have nothing do with this! Keep your nose out of family matters!"

Speedy didn't have time to form a question about family matters, for Lupe had suddenly lunged at him, sharp teeth bared and claw-like fingernails spread for attack. The man was fast, leaving Speedy with no time to even roll out of the way. He was crushed beneath a hundred and fifty pounds of angry mutant, unable to reach his bow and arrows where they had landed five feet away after the first attack.

Claws raked the Titan's face as he struggled to escape from beneath the man's weight. Desperately striking out where he could, he managed to get a handful of the man's face and was able to keep the gnashing teeth from his person for a vital moment.

An explosion made the dog-like man howl in pain and anger. He leapt off of Speedy, snarling, and faced Felis where she held Speedy's bow notched with a second arrow.

"This one'll kill you!" she warned, her voice shaking despite the calmness of her hands on the bow. "Get out of here, Lupe!"

The man hesitated, growling. Felis pulled back harder on the arrow and closed one teary eye to aim.

"You'll see me again, Felis. The Doctor won't stop until he has you again. We need you back." He paused for a moment longer, then leapt toward the speed boat. In seconds, the waves had obscured his course back to Jump City.

Speedy stood and turned toward Felis, a hundred angry questions ready to be thrown at her. However, before he could manage even a "What--", she had launched herself into his stomach, shaking and crying. He patted her head awkwardly, wishing either Beast Boy or Starfire were there to pass her onto.

"I'm s-s-sorry!" she sobbed into his abdomen. "Y-you got h-h-hurt because I c-c-came here and be-because I c-can't fight Lupe."

"Er, yeah, speaking of Lupe," he said, wishing desperately that she would go back to her normal annoyingness. "Who is he and why is he after you? And who's the Doctor?"

She didn't respond the way he had hoped; instead, her crying increased and she clung tighter to him. He was just about to try prying her off his waist and shaking some answers out of her when she let go and sat down.

"P-please don't tell them to s-send me away," she choked, looking up at him through watery eyes, "b-because you hate me and I g-got you hurt. I p-promise to leave you alone, just don't l-let everyone kick me out."

"What are you talking about?" he said, grabbing her by the wrist and hauling her to her feet. "Half of us don't trust _you_. You think we're just gonna kick you out and let that whack-job that attacked us run around unchecked? Heh."

She sniffled and stumbled after him as he picked up his bow and arrows and headed back to the Tower's entrance. Once in the main room, he deposited his weapons by the couch and sat Felis on it. He passed her the cold popcorn and a candy bar, hoping to distract her from her crying.

This was the first time he had seen her without her scarf, and now that all was calm, he actually had the time to take in her strange appearance. Her hair was white and hung to her shoulders, but the ears that stuck up out of her hair were dark grey like her tail. As she sat eating, her ears swivelled at every noise, even the sound of his butt hitting the couch cushion. It was a strange sight, but not as disturbing as he thought it could have been. Actually, if he ignored her vast quantities of annoying habits, the ears gave her an almost cute, cuddly appearance.

Even after she had finished the candy bar, she was silent. Her eyes darted in every direction but his, and her ears kept twitching nervously. She looked quite shaken up by her whole experience with Lupe.

Speedy was deciding whether he should do something to attempt cheering her up when she suddenly curled up into herself. He was concerned for a moment before he realised that she was transforming. Once she was the small grey-and-white cat again, she leapt neatly into his lap and curled up into a tight little ball. His first thought was to shove her away, but he was stopped when he noticed she was shivering.

_Things could be worse_, he thought in annoyance as he slumped against the back of the couch.

The others couldn't get back soon enough.

* * *

Tidbit: Lupe was originally part wolf (hence the name), but after reading Maximum Ride, I decided to just make him part dog.


	4. Four: Experimentation

**A/N:** Felis gets serious in this chapter, but not for long. :3 And forgive me, but the next chapter isn't started yet, so it might be a little bit before I post it. I'm not totally sure what's gonna go down, but I'll try to get it up in a week or so.

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Not-So-Good Doctor**

"Felis, you have to talk sometime."

The cat girl had yet to move from Speedy's lap, even though Starfire was providing a perfectly good alternative as she sat next to him. Robin was staring down at the furball with a mixture of concern and annoyance, while Raven hovered by his shoulder, looking thoroughly suspicious. Speedy had gone through all that he had witnessed concerning the incident of Lupe and the speed boat, but Felis was refusing to cooperate.

"Look, Felis, if you want us to help you, you gotta help us," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, we can't do anything if you don't tell us what's going on," Beast Boy put in from the other side of Starfire. "We're here to help you. We're your friends."

"Speak for yourself," Speedy grumbled, crossing his arms to keep himself from grabbing the girl by the scruff of her neck and tossing her in a pet carrier like he so desperately wanted to do.

"It is no use," Raven finally sighed. "We will have to figure out what is happening on our own. She is obviously too stupid to be of any help."

Felis leapt off Speedy's lap, glaring at Raven, and morphed back into her human form.

"I'm not stupid!" she shouted angrily. "I'm scared and confused, but I'm not stupid!"

Raven raised an eyebrow as she tried not to grin in triumph. A valuable lesson had been learned; taunting was the best way to get the hairball to listen.

"Felis, who is Lupe?" Robin asked for the fifth time. "And why was he looking for you?"

She turned toward the group of teenagers, her eyes on the floor and all traces of anger gone.

"Lupe is my brother," she said quietly. "I haven't seen him for nine years."

"Your brother?" Speedy interjected. "Why was your brother attacking you?!"

Her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth slightly. "He wasn't doing it by choice. Lupe and I were created by a man called Doctor Straight. When I was eight, Lupe helped me to escape, but the Doctor recaptured him. I guess the Doctor has been looking for me ever since, just like I've been running away this whole time."

"He created you?" Beast Boy questioned.

She laughed dryly. "Did you think I was born this way? The Doctor was experimenting with human-animal hybrids. There were others aside from me and Lupe, but we were his favourites. We were the most successful. Dog boy and cat girl…" She trailed off, a distant and almost angry look in her eyes. Then she shook her head, and the shadow over her was gone, replaced once again by the boundless optimism that could only be rivalled by that of Starfire.

"Not that it matters, right? I mean, Lupe's the only threat here, and he's not even really a threat. We grew up beside each other, so I know his weaknesses. It shouldn't be a problem to run him out of town, right?"

"Maybe not, but running him out of town isn't what we have to do," Robin pointed out. "We'll have to catch him and this Doctor and throw them in jail before they cause any more trouble for anyone else."

Felis's face fell. "Jail? But--"

"Of course _jail_," Speedy growled. "Your _brother_ tried to kill me, in case you forgot."

"He wouldn't have killed you," she protested, but Speedy pointed to the scratches across his face as proof. Her eyes fell to the floor in submission.

"Sorry, Fey," Beast Boy said, "but we have to do what we have to do."

"Yeah, okay," she replied, turning away.

"We will need your help," Starfire put in. "You know more about your brother and this Doctor than we do. You can help us to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

Rather than answering, the cat girl transformed and trotted away to her room, leaving the Titans feeling awkward and guilty as they stared at each other.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Beast Boy said with half-hearted optimism. Raven raised an eyebrow at him, questioning how one could be "fine" after being told she had to put her own brother in jail. They fell silent, knowing she was right, and Beast Boy let the smile fade from his face.

"I'll call Titans East and let them know what's going on," Speedy said finally.

"Good idea," Robin said. "Beast Boy, Starfire, take Felis somewhere to keep an eye on her while we fix her window."

"Yes, Robin," Starfire answered with a broad smile. "We will try to remove her mind from her worries."

"You do that," Raven muttered as she stared down the hallway after the cat. Something told her that there was more to the cat girl than any of them had so far imagined, and she wasn't keen on finding out what that "more" was.

* * *

"Oh, manohmanohman. This is the best thing ever! What is it again?"

"Uh, meat-lover's pizza," Beast Boy said, cringing away from Felis as she took enormous bites of the pie.

"With the extra cheese!" Starfire added, smiling happily as she squirted mustard and mayonnaise onto her own slice.

"Well, this is awesome," the cat girl declared around a mouthful of sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, and cheese. "It's like, the greatest food on the planet."

"More like the most disgusting," Beast Boy argued. "Do you have any idea how many animals were killed to make that pizza?"

"Do you have any idea how annoying you are when I'm trying to eat the flesh of farm animals?" she countered, grinning despite the fact that her cheeks were stuffed with half a slice of pizza.

"Bleh," he muttered. He was beginning to look like he was going to be sick.

Lamps flickered on in the street behind them. The sudden light made Felis realise how dark it had been getting; she paused mid-slice and glanced up a the darkening sky. Her pupils dilated as the familiar longing to hunt struck her. She was halfway out of her seat when Beast Boy grabbed her wrist.

"Are you feeling okay, Felis?" Starfire asked in concern as Beast Boy gave her a questioning look.

She snapped back into human mode and shook her head to rid herself of the instinctive feelings. Her pupils shrank back to normal as she gave them a reassuring smile.

"Oh, I was just thinking that it's getting late," she said. "We should probably get back to the Tower, right? I'm sure the window is fixed by now."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said slowly, eyeing her suspiciously. He then cast a disgusted look at the remaining pizza. "Taking your slaughter home with you?"

"Taking your vegetarian attitude with you?"

He glowered at her.

"I'm kidding, B," she laughed. "Look, I'll leave it, okay? Let's just go before Speedy comes after us to make sure I haven't escaped."

As the Titans took to the sky, Felis glanced again at the shadowy alleys. She bit her lip, forcing down the instincts, and focused on Starfire's wavelength.

_Keep it together, Felis,_ she told herself as she leapt into the air.

Below them, yellow eyes turned away into the alley, disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Midnight had come and gone, but Speedy was still up, staring blankly at the muted TV. He was exhausted, but the suspicion Raven had shared with him and the others while Beast Boy and Starfire entertained the furball wouldn't leave him alone.

"_She is not as clueless as she seems. There is something important she is not telling us. Just like…"_

Raven had never finished her sentence, but the others had nodded in understanding. Speedy felt left in the dark, but questioning the unsaid had yielded no answers. Not that it mattered; Felis and her crazy "family" were the main issue here, and no past occurrence with another person was going to help them.

A noise startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked around quickly to see the faint outline of a smallish someone in the shadows beyond the TV's light. Squinting allowed to him to recognise Felis.

"I…I just wanted…" she began, stepping into the ring of light cast by the television. She was holding a small box and a bottle. "I saw Raven couldn't totally heal those cuts, so…"

He raised an eyebrow at her as she stopped by the arm of the couch. She held up her items, revealing them to be Band-Aids and rubbing alcohol.

"I've been on that end of Lupe's claws before," she explained as she sat down warily next to him. "It was an accident, of course, but…it still hurt." She smiled half-heartedly.

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth, though he was taken aback by her new quiet demeanour. It was like she was a completely different person.

"I know I'm annoying," she said, not looking him, "but I know what I'm doing when it comes to Lupe, and you don't want those scratches to go uncleaned. Believe me."

"Why are you suddenly so…uh, calm?" he asked as she soaked a cotton ball in the rubbing alcohol.

"Night time is different," she answered. "Sit still."

"Ow! Jeez, watch it," he growled as she swabbed his cheek with the stinging alcohol. "What do you mean, 'different'?"

"I mean, I don't have so much pent up energy at night," she clarified. "Cats normally hunt at night, but the human part of me wants to be awake during the day. So, at night, I just get tired. Just like you and all the other humans out there." There was a note of bitterness in her voice that he ignored.

"Then why aren't you sleeping?"

"Can't," she stated as she rummaged in the box for an appropriate bandage. "I catnap. Part of me wants to sleep all night, but being out in the wild like I've been, it's a lot safer to sleep no more than an hour or two at a time." She smoothed a bandage across the scratches, her fingers lingering for a moment before she blushed and pulled her hand away. "There, all done. You can go back to hating me now. Keep an eye on those scratches."

He rubbed his injured cheek moodily as she walked away, tugging her scarf more tightly about her face. Raven was right; there was much more to the hairball than met the eye.

* * *

Tidbit: Felis is seventeen, making her one of the older teens in the Titans. From what I've heard, Cyborg is about seventeen; Robin, Raven, and Starfire are about sixteen; and Beast Boy is about fifteen. I couldn't find anything about age for Titans East, but I guess Bumblebee and Aqualad to be seventeen, Speedy to be an older sixteen, and Mas y Menos to be somewhere between twelve and fourteen.


	5. Five: Haywire

**A/N: **D: Sorry it took so long. What was it? Like two months? Yeah. Sorry about that.

I will try to have the next chapter out much more quickly than this one. X3 Reviews will get it out faster. :3

* * *

**Chapter Five: Malfunction at the Science Fair**

Felis cracked her knuckles and her neck. The Titans' test course was laid out before her; she could hear the lasers humming in the ground and see the tips of disc-shooting traps sticking up above the rocky terrain. Pure joy was coursing through her veins.

"You ready for this?" Cyborg called from the control station.

"Question is, are _you_ ready for this?" she shouted back gleefully.

"She's almost as cocky as you, Speedy," Cyborg chuckled as he prepared the course with the pressing of a few buttons. The East Titan glowered at him. "All right, Fey. Three, two, one…run!"

She was off in an instant, dodging around speeding discs and skipping aside just in time to avoid being turned into Swiss cat girl by lasers. The thrill of fight-or-flight had her heart racing and pupils dilated, allowing her to see the wall that shot up suddenly in front of her in stark clarity and contrast. She grinned as she darted around it. Leaping into a roll, she was able to cause the destruction of several traps with the crossfire. Her heart pounded joyously as her skills were finally put to the proper test.

The end of the course was nearing; she transformed, dashing for the clear. It was too late before she heard the telltale whirring of a disc rushing up to meet her. Fear almost made her freeze, but something suddenly zipped over her head, shattering the disc and allowing her to reach the end of the course all in one piece. When she passed the finish line and spun around, she saw an arrow stuck in the dirt amidst the shards of disc. Her fear was instantly replaced by smug satisfaction.

"Just couldn't see me hurt, could you?" she called up to the Titans gathered by the control panel once she had morphed back into a girl.

"We need you to find your annoying family," Speedy responded, arms crossed and cheeks flushed.

"Keep telling yourself that!" she answered.

"All right, all right, that's enough." Cyborg shut down the course and waved to Felis to join them. "It's time for some celebratory pizza!"

Felis was amongst them in an instant, mouth watering at the mere thought of a slice of meat lover's pizza. A sideways glance caught Speedy's eye; he looked away, glowering. She smiled before giving her attention to Beast Boy, who was talking excitedly about taking her on their next mission.

* * *

The moon's light was hardly enough to let Lupe see a foot ahead of him as he crept along the alley, but the Doctor had been insistent when he'd thrust the machine part into the dog boy's hand. If only he could transform like Felis, maybe the task wouldn't be so difficult….

A wall loomed out of the darkness, smacking Lupe in the nose. He whimpered and growled, clutching at his face, and took a minute to curse the night and everything in it. Finally, eyes watering, he turned on the spot in search of the door the Doctor had said would be there. He found it settled into the wall that had nearly broken his nose.

Once inside, he fumbled against the wall for the light switch. Fluorescent lighting spilled into the room, revealing the cafeteria kitchen Lupe had smelled upon entering. The walk-in freezer full of microwave lunches was nearby, but he resisted the urge to tear into a box of frozen hamburgers and moved through the kitchen into the open cafeteria.

Display tables were set up haphazardly around the room. Lupe manoeuvred around them carefully, trying to keep his tail still to avoid knocking over any of the projects set up on the tables. He'd reached the middle of the room, following the smell of metal and lubricants, when his tail gave an involuntary wag. A container crashed to the floor, exploding into bits of plastic and showering the floor with dirt. The smell of worms immediately clogged Lupe's nose; he snarled in frustration and grabbed onto his tail to prevent any further delays, but the smell he'd been following was already lost.

No longer able to follow a scent, Lupe took to checking each table for the target. He'd explored most of the cafeteria before he finally found it on a table nestled in the corner. He sighed in relief and fished in his pocket for the part. The instructions the Doctor had given hadn't been exceptionally detailed, but Lupe was smarter than he looked. In a minute it was done, and the half-dog hybrid slipped back into the night with a new sense of hope that his sister would be returned to him.

* * *

"Hey, Kevin, what happened to your project?"

Kevin squatted down and poked sadly at the pile of dirt and worms that had once been his science fair project. His sister stood behind him, peering over his shoulder at the ruined worm habitat.

"I dunno," he answered her. "Oh well…it was pretty stupid anyway…."

"I'll clean it up as a test run for my project!" She skipped away to fetch the product of her hard work, and returned moments later with a small cube in her arms and a controller in her hand. She set the box down and pressed a large red button on the controller.

"You're such a show-off, Sarah," Kevin told her as the cube opened up on four sides, budding two legs, two arms, and a boxy head with glowing green eyes. "I mean, jeez, a robot. Can't you just get a dustpan or something? People are watching."

"So? They'll get a preview." She grinned triumphantly and pressed a few buttons on the controller. The robot opened a hatch on it's front, pulled out a brush and dustpan, and began sweeping up the soil and worms. "I told you I'd win the science fair this year."

"Yeah, okay, stop rubbing it in my face-bleh!"

Sarah dissolved into a fit of giggles as Kevin brushed the debris from his face. The robot went back to work as if it hadn't thrown the dustpan full of dirt in the boy's face, but a moment later repeated the process by emptying the pan again on Sarah's skirt.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She pushed at a few buttons as Kevin stood and began backing away from the robot.

"Err. Or," the robot spouted. It jerked a few times, dropping the brush and dustpan, then grew to its full five-foot height. It twitched again before its eyes shifted to red, and it reached out with a claw-like hand and grabbed Kevin by the shirt. "Call. Teen. Ti. Tans. Call. Teen. Ti. Tans."

"Stop it!" Sarah shouted as it lifted a kicking and yelling Kevin off the ground. She pummelled the power button, but to no avail; the robot was out of her control.

"Call. Teen. Ti. Tans," it demanded as it marched into the crowd of parents and students, scattering them like screaming, humanoid rabbits. "Teen. Ti. Tans. Teen! Ti! Tans!"

* * *

"Guys, we have trouble!"

The Titans looked up from their four-player game of _Super Space Patrol VII_. Raven had drifted into the room after Robin, who was reattaching his communicator to his belt.

"What's up?" Cyborg asked as Beast Boy took the opportunity of distraction to place first in their virtual spaceship race.

"I just got a call about a science fair project that's gone haywire," the boy wonder answered. "It's some sort of robot, and it's terrorising everyone at the high school. According to the girl who called, it keeps telling them to 'Call Teen Titans.'"

"What?" Beast Boy exclaimed, dropping his game controller. "It knows us? How?"

"I don't know, but it apparently has a kid hostage." Robin headed for the door. "We'd better get moving before it does any serious damage."

Starfire leapt up from where she'd been watching the others play _Super Space Patrol_, and Cyborg and Speedy dropped their controllers to chase after their leader. Beast Boy and Felis took up the rear, the latter feeling as if she was going to explode from excitement.

* * *

The cafeteria was in chaos. Parents and children were huddled under tables and using project poster boards as shields while the offending robot marched around the room, carrying a child in each hand. A wide-eyed girl was watching its progress as she tapped at buttons on a controller.

"Oh, you're here!" The girl spun around to face the Titans, looking instantly relieved. "I don't know what happened…it was working just fine last night, and then I tried to use it this morning…oh, please, it has my little brother!"

"Don't worry, we'll take that thing down in no time," Cyborg reassured her. He primed his sonic cannon as Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla beside him.

Before the other Titans could charge, Felis leapt into action. She desperately wanted to prove to the team that she could measure up to them and that she was worth keeping around; she was going to take her chance now and show them just what she was capable of doing.

In a single leap, she was perched next to the robot's head and staring down at the hatch on its back. Latching onto Sarah's wavelength told her via a sense of relief that she was looking in the right spot, but she had nothing to unscrew the screws. While she hesitated, the robot took the chance to drop the children and grab her instead.

"Felis!"

Starfire came to the rescue, blasting off one of the robot's claw-like hands. Felis tumbled to the floor and tried to scramble out of the way, her flight instincts kicking in full force. She'd gained a few feet when a robotic foot came down and crushed her tail. Her ensuing howl of pain drew everyone's attention, but the robot stood firm.

"Fe. Lis. You. Are. A. Dis. O. Be. Di. Ent. Cre. A. Tion. I. Will. Have. You. Back."

The Titans stared as Felis whipped around, snarling and furious. She buried her nails in the robot's leg and bit down hard, but the only ill effect was on her teeth. Beast Boy attempted to rescue her with a gorilla's punch that sent the robot's head flying across the room in a shower of sparks.

"It won't work!" Sarah shouted across the room as the now headless robot struck Beast Boy with a claw. "You have to disable the hardware in the back-open the hatch on the back and pull out the red cable!"

"Could've told us that sooner," Speedy muttered as he notched an exploding arrow to his bow.

"Wait!" Sarah said, grabbing his arm. "I worked three months on him! Please don't destroy him!"

"It's trying to crush our team mate!" he shot back. He tried to shake her off his arm as Raven drifted past them toward the distracted robot.

"Azarath metrion zinthos." The hatch dropped off the back of the robot, revealing a complex system of wires and circuitry. Raven reached in and pulled the red cable from its slot, and then wrenched something else from the cramped interior of the robot.

Beast Boy helped Felis to her feet and assisted her in checking her tail for breaks as the other Titans gathered around Raven and the part she'd taken.

"What is that?" Robin asked.

"Looks like a remote control circuit, but I've never seen anything like it," Cyborg said, taking the part in his hand and flipping it back and forth to inspect each side. "It looks…homemade."

Felis squeezed into their midst and grabbed the part from Cyborg. She brought it close to her face and tilted it until it caught the light, then nodded decisively before returning it.

"It's the Doctor's," she informed them when they raised eyebrows at her. "That D symbol there is his signature. That and the thing smells like Lupe."

"So, you're saying the Doctor was controlling this thing?" Cyborg questioned. "But…he must be nearby! This thing can't have much of a reach."

She shrugged and passed the part back to him. "If he was close, he's gone by now. I mean, if he's anything, it's certainly not stu-"

"Teen Titans!"

The team turned around and stared at the tall, lanky man who had approached them with clasped hands. He smiled at them as he wiped sweat from his forehead with his tie.

"Titans, thank you so much for this," he said, proffering up his right hand to Cyborg, who was the biggest of the lot. "I'm Principal Antonucci."

Robin squeezed in front of Cyborg and shook the principal's hand. "It was no problem. We're just happy to help."

"Well, I've just had a quick conversation with the head of my organisation committee, and we'd like to do something to repay you. Our prom is in two weeks, and we would be honoured if you and your team would be our guests."

The Titans stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before Robin regained his voice.

"Well, thank you, sir, but we really don't want to impose-"

"No, no, no! Like I said, it would be an honour! I _insist_ that you join us! Ahem, if you'd excuse me, we've got a bit of a mess to clean up here…but expect to be treated like royalty at our dance! I just hope no criminals pick that night to steal you from us! " He chuckled, thumped the stunned Robin on the shoulder, and went to join a woman in a pantsuit who was helping Kevin and the other boy to their feet.

Felis tilted her head to one side as she stared at the stupefied Titans.

"Hey guys, what's a prom?"

* * *

Tidbit: There were three name references to one of my favourite Cartoon Cartoons in there. If someone notices it and A) tells me what cartoon was referenced and B) what the three names were, I'll include a bonus mini-chapter in the next chapter. :3


	6. Six: Interim

**A/N: **Woohoo I wrote this all in one shot last night. I'm pretty proud of myself for that. XD I'd written half a chapter a few days after my last post, but I ended up deleting it and didn't know what I was going to do for this, and then this came out of nowhere.

It's mostly fluff, and so is the next chapter; I hope you don't mind. :/**  


* * *

**

**Chapter Six: Two Weeks Notice**

"…and you're supposed to ask someone you like to go with you."

Felis tilted her head to one side and blinked at Cyborg. "That's it?"

"Uh…yeah," he answered, frowning. The Titans had drawn straws, and Cyborg and Raven were the ones who had been stuck with trying to explain the tradition of prom to Felis. They had yet to make any sort of impression on the catgirl, who had so far only stared at them blankly from the back of the couch.

She shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, so you go to this place, and there's music, and you dance, and they have food…sounds like a good time to me."

Cyborg shook his head in defeat. "You just don't get it, Fey. You gotta dress up, find a date…prom is nerve wracking."

"Says the one who fights super villains as a profession," Raven put in from behind her book.

"I'd fight any bad guy we've met again rather than go to this prom. Heck, I'd fight _all_ the bad guys we've met rather than go to this prom."

"Well, that _does_ sound like more fun," Felis admitted before she flounced away, presumably to annoy Speedy or cuddle with Starfire. Cyborg merely shook his head and shared an exasperated look with Raven.

The hairball just didn't get it.

* * *

Lupe crouched in the corner of the dimly lit room, watching warily as his creator paced back and forth across the broken tile. It had been quiet for hours; the Doctor had ordered silence as soon as they had returned from the second failed attempt at capturing Felis.

"It has been nearly a week since the Titans took Felis into their tower," Doctor Straight muttered. He stopped suddenly and pulled at his wild hair, letting out a noise of frustration. Lupe had only seen such behaviour from the Doctor after Felis's escape nine years ago. "She can't resist hunting, I've done enough tests on her to know! Surely she'll sneak out soon…."

"Father," Lupe ventured, wincing when the man turned on him with a look of manic fury. "Father, I think she has learned not to hunt. I saw her, the second night she was there. She was about to take off when the green one talked to her; I think being around them keeps her human."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and scratched absently at his greying goatee. In moments he had returned to his pacing, mumbling to himself this time.

"If we do that…no, no, she'd catch on…smarter than she acts, the brat…but if…maybe…perhaps-no, that would never work out…"

Lupe covered his ears to drown out the ramblings. It had taken so long for them to track her down, they couldn't lose now. Without Felis, they weren't a family; they needed her, why couldn't she see that? His little sister…why didn't she love him anymore?

* * *

Supper at Titan Tower was tense. The boys were behaving oddly: Robin flinched every time Starfire addressed him, causing the Tamaranian to ask repeatedly what was the matter; Beast Boy kept glancing at Raven, who responded by exploding the Jell-O and his cup of soy milk; and Cyborg spent most of the dinner fiddling restlessly with his communicator. Speedy was the only one who remained normal, though he glared at Felis every time she paused in her eating to make a face at him.

"Robin, are you sure you are okay?" Starfire inquired for the sixth time. "You are acting most unusual."

"I'm fine, Star, really," he replied, though his red face said otherwise.

"This is ridiculous," Raven said finally, throwing down her fork and standing up from her seat. "I will be on the roof, so feel free to _avoid it_."

Beast Boy looked dismayed as she vanished through the ceiling. "I can't believe we have to go this stupid prom." He dropped his forehead onto the table and groaned.

"Come on, we're Teen Titans," Speedy said around a mouthful of food. "Dates'll be easy to find."

Judging by the looks on their faces, the rest of the table didn't seem to agree.

* * *

"You understand your mission?"

Lupe nodded once and waited for the Doctor to continue.

"Do not forget! Under no circumstances shall you be caught, and do not attempt to take her, even if you have a chance. This is reconnaissance _only_. Those Teen Titans…we must learn more about them if we wish to defeat them and have our Felis returned to us."

"Yes, Father," the hybrid answered. "I will find out everything I can."

"Good. We will be fully prepared for our next attempt." He sent Lupe off with a quick wave of his hand and smiled as thoughts of triumph drifted into his head. "I'll have you back, Felis. It will not be complete without you."

* * *

Robin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could hear Starfire playing with Silkie and Felis in the common area; he forced himself not to turn around and slink back to his room. Doing his best to act casual, he walked around the corner and coughed to get the Tamaranian's attention.

"Oh, Robin, have you come to join us in a Tamaranian game of plorg the gopnot?" she asked hopefully, pausing in the middle of tossing a feline Felis into the air and catching her. The catgirl mewled indignantly as she twisted frantically in midair to right herself and land on her feet. She trotted away in a huff, pausing to bite Robin on the ankle as she passed him.

"No-ow! Uh, actually, I wanted to ask you something." He tried and failed to keep himself from blushing. "Um, I was…well, I mean…"

Starfire waited patiently as he stumbled over his words and grew redder by the minute. Her curiosity turned to concern, however, when his colour began to resemble a hot pepper.

"Robin, are you feeling all right? Are you suffering the same condition as you were last night at supper?" She then gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh! You have not been poisoned by a torgpar, have you? I do not have any gopthar to give you-"

"What? No, Star, I haven't been poisoned by…uh…that…what was that again?"

"A torgpar. Their poison causes one to turn the colour of veglars and makes one forget how to speak properly," she explained. Then she smiled. "But you are speaking properly now, so you must truly not be under the influence of torgpar poison!"

"Uh, right," he answered slowly. "Er, anyway, I was…well, I was wondering if you'd…like to go to the prom with me?"

She stared at him in confusion. "I thought we were all going to the prom of dancing together."

"No, I mean, we are, but I, er, I thought we could-I mean, I thought you and I could-" _Deep breath, Robin, deep breath. It's no big deal…_ "Ahem, what I meant to say was, would you like to be my…date to the prom?"

She blinked at him a few times, apparently still perplexed, then suddenly beamed at him.

"Oh, I understand now! Yes, I would love to accompany you on a date to the prom of dancing!" She twirled around happily in the air with Silkie before floating back down to the carpet to hug Robin, who felt very much like fainting in relief.

* * *

Raven's bedroom door was the most terrifying thing Beast Boy had ever seen in his life. In his indecision, he had passed it twelve times, too afraid to stop and knock. Now he stood before it feeling mildly ill while he argued silently with himself.

_It's nothing, B. Worst she can do is say no, right?_

Worst she can do is send me to another dimension!

_Come on, man! __She likes you…sort of._

No, she _tolerates_ me. There's a big difference.

_What about that time she hugged you?_

Dude, she was upset! I just happened to be there and-

The door slid open, revealing a large book that was lowered slowly to reveal his bewildered team mate. "Uh, Beast Boy…why are you standing outside my bedroom door?"

Beast Boy stared in horror at Raven, who raised an incredulous eyebrow. She waited a minute for him to say something, but when nothing more than anxious noises escaped his open mouth, she squeezed past him and returned to reading her book.

"W-wait!" he yelped, spinning around so quickly that he lost his balance and toppled to the floor.

Her wandering eyebrow drifted closer to her hairline as she stared at his prostrate form on the carpet. "What?"

"Willyoumegopromyessayplease?"

The other eyebrow joined the first. "And I thought you could not sound any more stupid."

"No, wait!" he begged, grabbing her ankle as she tried to continue on her way. She gave him a dangerous look, but he'd already squeezed his eyes shut. Fearing for the worst, he took one final breath and said, "Raven, will you please go with me to prom?" And then he cringed, expecting to be imploded at any moment.

Nothing happened. He opened his eyes cautiously, afraid of what he might see. What met his eyes, however, was the last thing he had ever expected: Raven was blushing.

"Uh, sure," she conceded, averting her gaze.

"Wait, what?" he said, unable to believe his pointy ears. "Is…was that a yes? I knew you liked me!" He leapt to his feet and caught her in a crushing hug.

"Don't push it," she warned, but the glare was diminished by the tinge of pink still in her cheeks.

* * *

Shattered fragments of target discs littered the ground. There was a small explosion high above, and a few more bits of disc joined the rubble in the dirt. Speedy lowered his bow and examined his handiwork. Satisfied, he turned to go back inside.

"Ahh!" He leapt backward, heart pounding, as Felis smiled benignly at him. "Where did you come from? You scared the crap out of me!"

"Dude, I've been here for ten minutes," she said, still grinning.

"You could have said something," he growled.

"But that wouldn't have been any fun."

Fuming, he walked around her and made for the entrance to Titan Tower, but she darted ahead and blocked the door.

"Move," he snarled.

"But I have a question for you!" she insisted.

He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose to calm himself. "What?"

She hesitated, and he opened his eyes to glower at her. She was looking everywhere but at him; he coughed to regain her attention, causing her to jump in surprise.

"S-sorry," she squeaked, her eyes wide. "I, uh…will you be my date for prom?"

He was taken aback. "What?"

"Prom," she repeated; she was beginning to look frightened. "Will you go with…with…me…" she trailed off, apparently discouraged by the look on his face. Her feline ears wilted.

"Why would you even ask?" he said weakly, still stunned by the question. "I mean…come on. You're not that stupid."

Her cheeks turned pink, but she jumped back into typical Felis mode in a split second and gave him a wide smile.

"Hey, come on, it was worth a shot, right? I mean, I figured you'd already have a date or something, and I was sure you'd say no anyway, but I thought I'd at least try, right? Hahaha, of course I'm not that stupid!" In a moment she was gone, leaving nothing behind but a few stray hairs and a feeling of awkwardness.

Speedy stood alone for a minute in silence, trying to decide if what had just happened was real or if he was going insane. By the time he reached the living room, he was still unconvinced that it had been a valid experience.

* * *

Tidbit: Felis can't read. She knows the alphabet and can spell her name, but is otherwise illiterate. She was positively joyous when Beast Boy introduced her to comic books, as she could finally "read" a story without her having to actually read. (She also learned "Dude" from him.) X3


	7. Seven: Dance

**A/N:** Holy cow, has it really been a year since I last updated this? I apologise deeply to anyone who was waiting for this, and I hope you all aren't too terribly disappointed. I had this chapter half-written, just sitting in my Documents folder, waiting to be finished, for an entire _year._ That makes me sad. At least this one is a bit longer than the others, right? Anyway, I'm going to try to stick to it this time! Only a few chapters left (three, I'm thinking), so hopefully I'll finish soon and can move on to the second instalment of Felis's story. :3

I hope you all enjoy.

PS: I promise Felis will return to her annoying self soon. All this stress is making her mighty serious. Also, any confusion pertaining to her actions/feelings/things unsaid in this chapter will be cleared up in a later one.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Crashing the Prom**

Prom.

The word hung over Titan Tower like the plague, shadowing the otherwise peaceful days leading up to the dance. Felis seemed to be the only one unaffected by the increasing tension, though the Titans saw little of her as P-Day approached. She was more elusive than she had ever been, often disappearing into her room for hours until she was lured out by the smell of food.

Speedy was far from missing her company. For the first time since she'd shown up at the tower, his clothes were free of cat hairs, and he could finally relax without wondering when she would be attacking his feet next. Besides that, the awkwardness between them was enough to drive him crazy just during meal-times. He realised he'd been harsh in his confusion, but he wasn't going to apologise for something she'd brought on herself.

On the down side, Beast Boy had noticed that Speedy appeared to be at fault for Felis's seclusion, and so took to glaring and face-pulling when Raven wasn't there to stop him. It was six days before prom when the changeling finally confronted him about it.

"Hey," Beast Boy said aggressively. The den was empty but for the two of them; Speedy ignored him. "Hey! Come on, you know I'm talking to you, we're the only two in here!"

Speedy rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming. "All right, what?"

"What did you do to Felis? She won't even come out to play _Super Space Patrol_ unless I trick her with a burger!"

Speedy looked up from the magazine he'd been pretending to read and frowned at the little green titan. "I didn't do anything to her."

"You're lying!"

"Then go ask her!"

"She won't tell me! She said she's fine!"

"Then why are you so worked up about it?" Speedy tossed the magazine onto the table and tried to walk away, but found his way blocked by a growling green bloodhound. "Beast Boy, move."

The changeling transformed back into a boy and crossed his arms. "Dude, what's your problem with her, anyway? She really likes you, and you're just mean to her!"

"I'm not mean to her!" Speedy shot back, offended.

"You are, too! Like that toy robot she won at the arcade that you broke!"

"That was an accident!" he protested. "Besides, it was just a toy. She's what, seventeen? I think she's all right without it."

Beast Boy continued to glower, so Speedy sighed and held up his hands in submission.

"All right, all right," he muttered. "But you can't blame me, she's the most annoying person I've ever met. Look, all that happened was she asked me to go to this stupid prom with her, and I said no. It's not my fault if she got all huffy about it."

Beast Boy looked horrified. "You turned her down for prom? Dude, no wonder she's upset!" He made a dash for the hall leading to their rooms, paused, rushed back to grab something from the kitchen, and finally disappeared down the hall.

Speedy shook his head in exasperation, but as he started toward his own temporary room, he thought that maybe, just maybe, the hairball did deserve some sort of apology.

Not that he was going to give her one.

* * *

"Father, I have much to tell you about my reconnaissance."

The Doctor whirled on the spot, catching Lupe by the shoulders and drawing the hybrid close to his face. "Most important things first, Lupe."

Lupe nodded as the Doctor released him. "Er, well, first and foremost, the Teen Titans and Felis will be attending some sort of high school dance this Saturday. They will not be expecting anything that night and will be unprepared."

"Wonderful! Where is it? We will have to have a good plan-"

"W-wait, Father, there's one other thing." Lupe hesitated. He almost did not want to tell the Doctor about his most recent finding; he would rather deal with the offending human himself. He swallowed hard and averted his gaze to the wall, hoping the Doctor would not notice his anger. "One of the Titans, the archer, Speedy. Felis seems to like him quite a lot, but he finds her…annoying. He will probably be weaponless for the dance, and I think if we…threaten him, she will be much more obedient."

The Doctor smiled dangerously, possibly noting the way Lupe growled at the thought of the archer. Plans were falling neatly into place in his mind.

"Very good, Lupe. Now, about the other Titans…"

* * *

As the evening wore on and the sound of video games filled Titan Tower, Speedy deemed it possible to leave his room without being told off again by an agitated Beast Boy. He slipped out into the hall, staying quiet as he passed Felis's door, and moved toward the stairs. Keeping an eye on the team members gathered around the television, he eased open the door to the stairwell and breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped onto the landing without being addressed.

"Hey."

"Ahhgh!" Speedy nearly fell down the stairs in his moment of panic; he grabbed onto the door handle to steady himself.

"Jeez, you're so easy to scare." Felis shook her head and dipped a spoon into the jar of peanut butter she was holding, then offered it to him. "You want some? Beast Boy's right; it really calms you down when you're in a bad mood."

"Were you just waiting for me to leave?" he asked, pushing away the spoon when she thrust it closer to his face.

"'Course not," she answered. "I was just out trying to catch a fish. I guess they don't like peanut butter, though…didn't see a single one." With a shrug, she stuck the spoonful of peanut butter in her mouth, looking content.

"Okay, then can you get out of my way?"

"No need to be rude," she said around the spoon as she moved aside for him. "You going out to try and find a date again?"

"Again? What are you talking about, I didn't-"

"You're a bad liar. If you can't find a girl to go with you, you know where to find me." She grinned at the glower he gave her and started through the door, adding, "By the way, I hate elevators, so if you really want to avoid me, you may want to keep that in mind next time you think you're safer taking the stairs."

Speedy ground his teeth in frustration as she disappeared through the door. She was really, really starting to get on his nerves.

* * *

The day of prom dawned bright and clear, but the Titans were far less sunny than the warm morning. Starfire was the only one who seemed to be ready for the evening; she spent much of the day attempting to do up the other girls' hair and help them with make-up, an effort that didn't go over well with Felis.

"Star, I don't think she's coming out," Robin told the Tamaranian as she tried to coax a feline cat girl from under the couch.

"Yeah, that hairball's a lost cause." Bumblebee, who had arrived three days earlier as Cyborg's prom date, was proving to be the only Titan not worked up about the dance. "We'll be lucky to force her into a dress."

Starfire dropped onto the couch, looking disappointed. "But I spent two hours at the mall of shopping finding just the right ups of making to go with everyone's dresses…"

Bumblebee glanced at the hall just in time to see the grey and white cat scurrying back the hall. She chuckled and returned to her magazine as Beast Boy joined them. He looked a little panicked as he perched himself on the arm of the couch.

"What's the matter?" Robin asked.

"She won't even talk to me!" the green Titan groaned. "When I knocked on her door, she exploded the waffles I was trying to give her! I knew she'd change her mind, why'd I ever ask her in the first place?"

"Raven's just nervous." Bumblebee flipped the page in her magazine. "It's just that instead of sweating and dropping stuff, she explodes things and hides from everyone."

Beast Boy wanted to ask when Bumblebee had become such an expert on Raven when the girl herself came down the hall, carrying Felis in a bubble of dark energy.

"Looking for this?"

"Oh, now I can put her in the dress of prom!" Starfire exclaimed, catching the small cat as soon as Raven released her. "You will look so very pretty, friend!" Felis looked even less thrilled than Raven as she was carried down the hall by the young Tamaranian.

"I guess we had better get ready as well." Raven glanced at Beast Boy. "Please tell me you were planning on showering before the dance. You are covered in waffles."

Beast Boy looked ready to faint in relief.

* * *

Most of the Titans arrived at the dance ten minutes early, which was approximately enough time to drag Felis from the back seat of the T-Car. Speedy arrived with his date, a pretty brunette, just as Cyborg was locking the cat girl out of the car.

"Hurry up, Speedy, my friends are waiting!" the brunette urged, tugging on his arm when he paused to watch Felis hopelessly tugging at the handle. "Come on, I can't wait to show you off." He waved casually as he was dragged away and swallowed by already blaring music.

"Come on, Fey, you'll have loads of fun!" Beast Boy patted Felis on the head as she stared after the archer and his date. "You'll find someone to dance with, no problem!"

But dancing was the least of Felis's worries.

* * *

Less than hour into the night, Speedy found himself alone and browsing the food table for something more filling than a tiny spring roll. He was not happy; apparently, his date had been more interested in making her ex-boyfriend jealous than in the Titan. On the upside, he hadn't seen the hairball since he'd entered the building.

He glanced around the room. Raven, who looked stunning in the dress she'd finally consented to wear, was hovering in a corner while Beast Boy stood faithfully by her side, clearly happy to simply be on a date with her, even if they weren't having much fun. Starfire was twirling around with Robin in some sort of Tamaranian dance that appeared to be making the boy wonder a bit ill, and Cyborg and Bumblebee were enjoying a short break off the dance floor.

"Where is she?" he muttered to himself, checking the room for a third time. How were they supposed to keep an eye on the furball in a place like this?

Something suddenly moved by his feet, and he looked down in time to see a grey and white blur darting for the door. Frowning, he set down his punch and followed her into the parking lot. She stopped ten yards from the building, her tail twitching.

"Where are you going?"

She jumped and spun around, and for a moment her look of panic took him back to her curled up in his lap, shivering. Then she grinned, all signs of nervousness gone.

"Dude, relax. I just came out to get some air."

"Uh-huh." He crossed his arms and frowned at her. She kept on smiling, her default expression. He narrowed his eyes. Was that make-up around her eyes? Likely Starfire's doing. And the cat girl's hair had been teased onto the top of her head, too. He was surprised she'd sat still long enough to have her hair fixed. She did look nice in that red dress…

He mentally shook himself. What was he thinking? Delusional, probably, after being dumped by his last-minute date for some guy with a mohawk. How embarrassing was that?

"Like what you see?"

Less embarrassing than having Felis smirk at him because he'd forgotten he was staring at her, that was for certain. "I wasn't-I was thinking," he growled.

"Yeah, okay."

He glared. "Why aren't you in there annoying some other guy, huh?"

She flinched, but recovered quickly. "I…it was too crowded in there. I couldn't hear myself think. I don't really like crowds, and the loud music is killing my hearing."

He raised an eyebrow; she wasn't telling him everything, as usual. Her penchant for blurring the truth really got on his nerves.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" Acting oblivious, as usual.

"Lie. You're always pretending nothing bothers you. We're trying to help you, and we can't if you keep hiding. What's your problem?"

"Ah, come on, it's not important. You don't care anyway."

He ground his teeth, rather inclined to believe her. "Try me."

"Okay, fine." She dropped her gaze to the macadam and crossed her arms. "Everyone in there keeps looking at me like I'm a freak, and they're right. That's why I came out here."

"Par for the course when you're a Titan. I mean, come on. Beast Boy is green, Cyborg's half-robot, Bumblebee has wings, Starfire's from a different planet…it's not that strange for you to have a tail."

"Yeah, but…Beast Boy is funny and Cyborg's really smart with electronics and stuff and Bumblebee's really tough and Starfire's really pretty and I'm…none of that. I'm annoying."

"Beast Boy is funny?" he snorted. "Maybe to you. Look, you are annoying, but you're also…." He stopped, trying to think of something. She was right. She was an annoying cat girl, and that was it.

She stood watching him, waiting patiently for him to think of something nice to say. He wondered if she was tapping into his wavelength, reading his discomfort. If she did, she wasn't showing signs that it bothered her. Not that she was likely to betray her own unease.

"You're…persistent," he said finally, thinking back to every time he had turned her away and she had returned as if nothing had happened. He met her bright blue eyes, noted her crooked grin. She really did look pretty okay in that dress. "And you're…sort of cute, I guess. As long as you keep your mouth shut." He was going to regret that, he knew it.

Her eyes lit up and her mouth opened, no doubt to give him a smug response, but suddenly her expression shifted to fear, and she made a movement toward him. Before he had a chance to figure out what was wrong, strong arms wrapped around his throat, and his feet were lifted off the ground.

"No!" Felis shouted. "No! Stop!"

"Run, and he dies."

Speedy recognised Lupe's voice in his ear. He wanted to tell Felis to run anyway, back into the building with the other Titans, but he couldn't breathe with the dog man's arms pressing on his windpipe. His hands scrabbled hopelessly over the young man's hairy arms. There was no escaping.

"You wouldn't!"

Lupe snarled, his grip on Speedy tightening. "You are lucky I'd spare him at all. He is mean to you, for what reason? None! I should strangle him right here."

Through his dizziness, Speedy could see tears streaking down Felis's cheeks. "D-don't. C'mon, Lupe, please. Don't hurt him."

"Why? Why should I let him go unharmed when he has done so much harm to you?"

"He's my friend, leave him alone! Please, Lupe, please! I-I'll go with you. I'll go with you, no fighting. Just don't…just let him go."

The dog man's choke hold loosened a bit, and Speedy gulped in air. "Fey, don't-"

"Shut up, archer!" Lupe shook the Titan roughly. "I never said you had the right to speak."

"Lupe!" There was panic in Felis's voice. "You're hurting him, stop!"

Lupe narrowed his eyes at the cat girl. "You must come with me, no fighting. And you must promise to stay. Don't leave me again, Felis." A whine escaped his throat. "You can't leave, not again. We are a family, Felis."

If he wasn't being choked by the hybrid, Speedy would have felt sorry for him. Maybe. As it was, he could understand for a moment why Felis couldn't blame the dog man for his actions. He just wanted them to be a family again. It made sense. In a twisted, we're-family-because-we-were-created-by-the-same-madman kind of way.

"I won't, Lupe, I won't." Felis dropped to her knees, submitting. "I won't leave, okay? I'll stay with you and the Doctor. Just don't hurt him. He's my friend."

Lupe hesitated for only a moment before he shoved Speedy to the ground hard enough to knock the wind from him. When the Titan pushed himself up, he was alone in the parking lot. He looked around quickly, searching hopelessly for a flash of her red dress.

Felis was gone. And it was his fault.

* * *

Tidbit: I imagine Lupe to be Hispanic-looking. I don't know why. He's not Hispanic. At all.

Reviews. Please?


	8. Eight: Destruction

**Author's Note:** At least it wasn't a year this time, right? Heh...heh. Sorry to those of you who where waiting. I swear there will be some actiony stuff in the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Doctor's Plans**

The Doctor sat back in his chair, smiling as his flighty favorite cowered in the back of her cage, fingers wrapped around the specially designed collar as if she could stop it working if she clung to it. She still wore the ridiculous red dress; he would have to find something more suitable for her. What use was she if she was hindered by such a foolish outfit?

"I'm disappointed in you, Felis. Eight years of freedom, and what do you have to show for it? Humanity? You don't need to be _human_. You are powerful, amazing. A weapon. What need do you have for friends and silly parties?" He shook his head. "I suppose it's no matter now. You are home again, where you belong. You see, my dear, you cannot escape me in the end. I created you. You _belong_ to me. And I will not make the same mistakes I did all those years ago."

She hissed, the fur on her tail standing on end.

He laughed. No, she would never be human enough to fit in with them, no matter how hard she tried. After all, he had created her to be a weapon, something intelligent enough to devise her own tactics, but primal enough to be unstoppable. It would soon be complete, if he could just undo all that her freedom and the Titans had done. That shouldn't be much of a problem.

He just had to destroy the Teen Titans.

* * *

Beast Boy was quite proud of himself. After an hour of prodding and joking and begging, he'd finally managed to get Raven out on the dance floor. Admittedly, she was less than enthusiastic about the situation, but still. He was dancing with Raven. _Raven_, of all people. How lucky and _awesome_—

"Beast Boy!"

Beast Boy turned, glaring at the interruption. "Dude, I'm kinda in the middle of something he—"

Speedy grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. "Shut up! Where's Robin?"

"He's with Starfire at the snack table," Raven answered, pointing. "What happened?"

Speedy ignored her question, spinning and pushing through the crowd.

"We should follow," Raven said, turning away from him and disappearing amidst the prom goers.

With a resigned sigh, Beast Boy followed them to the snack table. Robin and Starfire looked up as they approached, their smiles shifting to concern as Speedy hurried toward them.

"What happened?" Robin asked, his eyes scanning the room automatically.

Speedy's jaw clenched as he glanced at the door, and Beast Boy suddenly felt a moment of panic. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"He took Felis."

"_What?_" Beast Boy stared at the archer, stunned. How had this happened? And right under their noses!

"It was her brother. I saw her go outside, so I followed her. We were talking, and he came up behind me and choked me. He…threatened to kill me, if she wouldn't go with him. I…" Speedy looked ashamed. "It's my fault."

"You can't blame yourself. We all should have been keeping a closer eye on her," Robin assured him.

"Of course he can blame himself!" Beast Boy snarled, furious. "It_ is_ his fault! If he hadn't been such a jerk to her, she'd still be in here with us!"

Raven frowned, but no one tried to contradict his outburst. Even Speedy, who had been so defensive about his attitude toward the cat girl since she'd first shown up, didn't try to argue in his favor.

Robin quickly shattered the awkward silence. "It doesn't matter how it happened, guys. All that matters is that Felis is in trouble, and we need to save her. Speedy, did you see which way Lupe went?"

Speedy shook his head. "He pushed me down, I couldn't see which direction he took her."

"All right, then we'd better find a way to track her. Starfire, go find Cyborg and Bumblebee. Beast Boy, we're going to need your nose."

Beast Boy nodded, then cast a quick glare at Speedy when Robin looked away. The archer avoided his gaze, looking instead at the floor.

"Titans, let's go!"

* * *

Felis couldn't remember a time when she had felt so trapped, so utterly useless. With the stupid collar locked around her neck, she couldn't even transform to hide from her human emotions, and the prom dress she was still wearing restricted her movement. Everything the Titans had given her, everything she had come to love about the outside world, was gone.

And it was her own _stupid_ fault.

She'd known about Lupe sneaking around the tower. Why hadn't she told anyone? All of the Titans together could have easily stopped him. But her brother was a good person, really; he didn't deserve to be locked away. If he hadn't helped her all those years ago, she would never have escaped. Who was she to get him caught so he could be shut up in another cage? She couldn't do that to her own brother, not again. He should have better than that. He should have better than _her._

Were the Titans looking for her? Knowing them, they likely were. Even Speedy. She knew he didn't hate her, not really. She'd even caught a hint of affection from him a few times, though she had always managed to ruin it somehow. Being human was hard sometimes, especially around Speedy. He made everything so much more difficult than it had to be. That was why she had been drawn to him; she liked a challenge every now and then.

Something clanged in the darkness, and she drew herself further into the corner of the cage. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable, but no one approached. Heart still pounding, she squeezed her eyes closed, trying to shut out the world.

Everything was gone. She was back where she'd begun. No freedom. No mercy. Back to being a tool, a weapon. All because she was too scared to fight. What was the point in fighting, anyway, when she couldn't win?

She buried her face in the skirt of her dress as footsteps sounded at the far end of the room.

* * *

The mood at Titan Tower was bleak. After hours of searching for the missing Felis, the team had come back empty-handed. They hadn't found a single clue as to the cat girl's whereabouts, and by now…well, the Doctor was probably long gone.

"We have to keep looking," Beast Boy grumbled. "We can't just leave her alone with that crazy Doctor guy."

"We have looked everywhere, Beast Boy. Where do you propose we go from here?" Raven folded her arms, frowning.

"I don't know, dude! But we can't just give up on her! She needs us!"

"Not all of us," Speedy muttered, dropping onto the couch. If he hadn't been such a jerk, if he'd just taken her to the stupid prom, if he'd kept a closer eye on her…if, if, if. Why hadn't he tried harder to protect her? She was annoying, but she was also in danger. It was his job to keep her safe, no matter how much she grated on his nerves. He had failed, miserably so. There was nothing he could do. No way to track her, no way to save her. The Doctor likely had her halfway back to wherever it was they'd come from by now. He was so _stupid_.

"We cannot give up hope. We will find friend Felis. We must."

Speedy glanced at Starfire. How could she look so hopeful? Felis was gone. He'd let her get taken by her deluded brother. There was no hope, not after the miserable night they'd had. If they hadn't found her yet, they never would.

_He's my friend._ Felis's words still bothered him. She'd given up her freedom for his safety, even though he'd shown her nothing but hostility since they'd met. She'd insisted they were friends, but…well, friends didn't let each other get kidnapped by half-dog psychopaths.

"We should all get some rest. There's nothing else we'll be able to do tonight, so we'll regroup in the morning, think of another way to find Felis."

The group around Speedy dispersed at Robin's command, but Speedy remained where he was, unable to work up the desire to return to his temporary room. How had he managed to fail so badly?

"Hey."

Somebody kicked gently at his leg. He looked up, meeting the gaze of his team leader, then returned to staring at the wall.

"Don't ignore me, Speedy." Bumblebee put her hands on her hips, frowning at him. "Just because we're with Titans West doesn't mean I'm not your leader right now."

"Leave me alone."

"Uh-uh, I'm not having that. You are not going to sit around here feeling sorry for yourself because you messed up!" She kicked him again, harder this time. "Get up."

He rolled his eyes and moved his leg out of her reach. "I'm just going to sit here for a while, thanks."

"I said, get up! Just because we couldn't find Felis today doesn't mean you get to give up!"

"Why shouldn't I give up?" he snapped. "What am I supposed to do? There's nothing I can do to help find her, and I obviously can't protect her, so what's the point in even trying? She's just a nuisance anyway, let the others try to help her."

Bumblebee raised an eyebrow. "That's really what you think? That you're useless and all Felis is to you is annoying? I don't believe that."

"She _is_ annoying."

"Oh, I'm not arguing that. I just don't think that's _all_ she is. You wouldn't be acting so ridiculous right now if you didn't care about her."

"I don't _care_ about her, I just think that as a member of the Teen Titans, I should be able to protect people. Even if they do get on my nerves."

"Uh-huh."

He glared at her. "I don't _like_ her, okay? I just…I should have been able to stop Lupe. That's twice he's got the better of me." _And twice Fey has saved me from him. Shouldn't I be able to save her just once?_ "He really would have killed me, you know, if she hadn't agreed to go with him. Crazy psychopath hates me."

"No wonder, the way you treat his baby sister. That guy's really hung up on the whole 'family' thing, huh?"

"Yeah." _Don't leave me again, Felis…we are a family_. The dog man had been so earnest, so pleading with Felis. Maybe the cat girl was right; maybe her brother wasn't such a bad guy after all. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be with your family. If the whack-job would just put his strength to good use and take out the Doctor, everybody's problems would be solved. Felis would be safe and free, and Speedy would never have to deal with her again.

"Must be one messed up family. Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Speedy paused on his way to the elevator. "I'm…just going for a walk."

"A walk?" Bumblebee questioned, but he was already gone. She shook her head, muttering about his attitude, and made her way down the hall to her room.

* * *

Lupe closed the door behind him, careful not to make a sound, and crept toward the large cage at the back of the room. His sister huddled in the corner of the crate, her sobs muffled with her face buried in the skirt of her dress.

"Uh, hey."

She sniffed and peeked at him around the folds of her dress. "What are you doing in here? The Doctor said you weren't allowed. He'll—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted her, reaching through the bars to stroke her hair like he'd always done when they were kids. "I'm sorry you're sad, Felis, but you belong here. We're you're family. I had to bring you back."

She flinched away from him. "We're not a family, Lupe. Families don't…keep each other in cages and—and treat each other like weapons and…ruin each other's stupid prom dresses." She tugged at the dress, gesturing to the slashes in the fabric he'd left when she'd tried to escape the cage earlier.

"But we _are_ family. You are my little sister. I've missed you, Felis."

She smiled despite the tears in her eyes. "I missed you, too, Lupe. But this isn't what a family should be. I've seen what a family really is, and it's not what we are. A family takes care of each other, they help each other. They stick beside you even…even if you annoy them. They protect you, and you protect them."

"They aren't your family, Felis." He growled. "They don't deserve you."

"No, Lupe. _I_ don't deserve_ them_." She covered her face with her hands. "The Doctor is going to go after them, and it's my fault."

He snarled. "Why do you think so highly of them? They do not trust you. That…that archer, the way he treats you…"

She said nothing, keeping her face hidden in her hands. He couldn't understand; she had always been a fighter, never taking no for an answer. But threaten these Titans, and she turned domestic. How could she be so attached to people who didn't appreciate her? How could she prefer them to her own family? Maybe she really didn't love him anymore. The Doctor had said the freedom would change her, but could she really have forgotten him?

"I…I brought you a snack. Pepperoni, your favorite." He waved the pepperonis under her nose, but she turned away from him. His heart sank. The Felis he knew didn't turn down food. The Felis he knew was playful and cuddly and optimistic. This broken, tear-stained girl wasn't his little sister. She was a stranger.

"I'll just leave them here. For later."

She never looked up, even as he left the room.

* * *

"Stupid Felis," Speedy muttered, kicking at a rock as he walked. "Don't know why she had to go and get herself kidnapped."

He'd been walking the perimeter of the tower's island for the better part of an hour, but he was no closer to thinking of a way to find Felis. How were they supposed to find her with no clues as to where her "family" had taken her? Even Beast Boy couldn't track her scent, and the tracker Cyborg had planted on her was in her scarf, which was still on the bed where she'd left it that afternoon. Everything seemed hopeless.

Something at his feet caught a glint of moonlight. He paused, kneeling down to pick up the piece of glass.

_From the broken window_, he thought, glancing around at the fading footprints Lupe had left on the rocky ground. What a mess that night had been. They should have turned her out then, instead of keeping her under their protection. Maybe she'd have been able to keep running, instead of being a stationary target.

He dropped the shard of glass and made to stand, but something else caught his eye. Leaning in closer, he could see that some of the prints were newer than the others. How was that possible? They hadn't seen Lupe between that first try and the last….

Suspicious, Speedy searched the ground for more of the dog man's footprints. He quickly discovered that they were everywhere, large pawprints that matched Lupe's canine feet. There were prints the whole way around the building, and Speedy even spotted a few claw marks on the sides of the tower where Lupe had clearly scaled the walls. None of them were weeks old.

Lupe had been there. Frequently. So why hadn't he just taken Felis from her room? If he'd grabbed her in the middle of the night, they wouldn't have got to him in time. However, with the pawprints everywhere, it was almost like he'd been watching all of them…but why? Unless he was trying to learn about them, why would he watch them? And how long had been sneaking around the tower? Long enough to learn about the prom, maybe even long enough to learn about their habits, their weaknesses.

Their weaknesses. Were Lupe and the Doctor after the Titans, too? He wouldn't put it past Lupe. That whack-job seemed to hate anything that had to do with Felis not being in a cage. Likely the Doctor wasn't much different.

Maybe finding Felis was the least of their worries.

* * *

Tidbit: Felis is _terrified_ of water. She becomes completely useless when wet.


End file.
